


Stomach Bug

by awgaskarth0805



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:01:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22281514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awgaskarth0805/pseuds/awgaskarth0805
Summary: Alex gets a stomach bug on tour and spreads it to the whole band.
Kudos: 4





	Stomach Bug

**Author's Note:**

> This is a request!

When Rian woke up freezing but covered in sweat, achy, and with pain in his stomach, he was immediately pissed at Alex. The day before, Alex had come down with a stomach bug, and was his usual clingy-when-sick self.   
The only difference this time, was that it had been an off day where Jack’s sister lived, so he hesitantly spent the day with her while Rian and Zack took turns taking care of Alex. They did everything from sit with him in the bathroom while he got sick, to trying to give him medicine, to just sitting with him in the back lounge so he wouldn’t have to feel so terrible alone.   
Rian got up out of his bunk, deciding to try taking some anti-nausea medicine. With an arm wrapped around his stomach, he forced himself to the front lounge, where Zack and Jack were sitting, eating breakfast.  
“You don’t look so good, Rian,” Jack stated as Rian started looking through their medicine drawer.  
“Alex got you sick, didn’t he?” Zack asked.  
“He sure did. I feel awful, but I don’t think I have it as bad as Alex,” Rian said, sitting down with the medicine and some water. Zack put a hand to Rian’s forehead.  
“You don’t feel as warm as Alex did yesterday, so that’s good. What should we do about the show tonight?” Zack continued.  
“I think I’ll be okay to play, but a shorter set would be nice. I already know Alex is going to say he’ll play no matter how he’s feeling, so this might be a good compromise. How’s he doing?” Rian asked.  
“A shorter set is a good idea. Also, he got sick in the middle of the night, and he’s been asleep ever since. He still felt really warm last time I checked on him,” Jack explained.  
“Poor guy. Well, I don’t feel quite as bad for him since he got me sick, but I think I definitely have a milder version of what he’s got. How’re you feeling, Zack? You spent a lot of time with him yesterday, too,” Rian pointed out.  
“I’m a bit tired, but I think that’s just from doing so much for him yesterday. I don’t know how you do all of that for him every time he’s sick, Jack,” Jack stated.  
“Years of practice, and it helps that he does the same for me when I’m sick, too. So, Rian, do you-“ Jack was cut off by the bus hitting a pothole, making Rian’s eyes widen.  
“I’ll be back,” Rian choked out before sprinting to the bus bathroom. Right as Jack was going to go check on Rian, he heard Alex gagging in the back lounge.  
“Shit, can you check on Rian? I hear Alex in the back lounge, and he doesn’t sound good,” Jack said, grabbing a plastic bag.  
“No problem, good luck,” Zack said, going to the bathroom. Jack quickly walked out to the back lounge to find Alex gagging with a hand to his mouth. Jack gave him the bag, and Alex got sick into it. Jack rubbed Alex’s back until he stopped, glad that it didn’t last too long.  
“Did that pothole hurt your stomach?” Jack asked.  
“No, I didn’t even know we hit one. I woke up to someone getting sick, which made me feel sick again. What happened out there?” Alex asked.  
“Rian caught your bug. He doesn’t seem to have it as bad as you do, but he’s probably in for a rough day,” Jack explained.  
“Oh no, I feel really bad now. I tried so hard to keep my distance yesterday so he wouldn’t get sick. Is Zack okay?” Alex asked, sounding guilty.  
“Yeah, he said he’s fine. He’s helping Rian right now,” Jack replied.  
“Are we still doing the show tonight?” Alex continued.  
“Well, Rian said he’d be fine if we just shorten the set some, he figured you wouldn’t want to cancel. But, you seem to be just as sick as you were you were yesterday, so maybe canceling wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Jack explained.  
“I’ll be okay, don’t worry, just as long as Rian’s sure,” Alex replied.  
“Okay, I guess we’ll do that, then. How’re you feeling?” Jack asked.  
“Well, you guessed it, just as bad as yesterday. I don’t think I’ve ever been this sick in my life,” Alex said, snuggling into his blanket more.  
“Sorry to hear that, man. Are you cold?” Jack asked his friend.  
“I’m freezing,” Alex replied. Jack went to let Alex latch onto him and was taken aback by how hot and sweaty Alex was.  
“Dude, you’re burning up. I’ll let you try to get warm for a bit, but we have to get that fever down some,” Jack stated.  
“That’s a later problem,” Alex said, his words muffled from his face being shoved into Jack’s side.  
“Not too much later, I don’t want you to overheat or anything. Why don’t we watch something for now?” Jack suggested.  
“Sure, you can pick what it is,” Alex replied. Jack turned on the TV and put on a movie that they both liked. Eventually, he started to feel Alex shift around some.  
“Are you okay?” Jack asked.  
“My stomach just really hurts,” Alex replied, wrapping his arms around himself.  
“Do you think you have to throw up?” Jack continued.  
“No, not right now, it’s just some discomfort,” Alex replied.  
“Well, maybe try to sleep some. We still have a bit to go before we get to the venue,” Jack replied.  
“Okay, I’ll try that. Thanks for being out here with me,” Alex said, trying to make himself more comfortable.  
“No problem, dude. You know I’ll always do what I can to help you feel better,” Jack stated. Alex smiled to himself as he quickly drifted off to sleep.   
For the rest of the bus ride, Jack stayed with Alex and Zack stayed with Rian. Alex and Rian each ended up getting sick again, but both insisted that they were fine to do the show when the got to the venue. Once they got there, Jack helped Alex get himself together before walking with him to the front of the bus, where Zack and Rian were.  
“How’re you doing, Rian?” Jack asked his friend.  
“I’ve been better,” Rian admitted.  
“I’m sorry for getting you sick,” Alex stated.  
“It’s okay, it’s not like you meant to do it. Let’s just hope that tonight goes well,” Rian replied. As the four of them walked to the venue, Zack noticed that he felt a bit colder than usual but tried to ignore it as the four of them grabbed their instruments and walked onstage.  
“Let’s make this soundcheck twenty minutes instead of the usual forty. Then, you tow can get some rest before it’s showtime,” Jack decided.  
“Good idea, I’m already freezing again,” Alex replied. They started into their first song, and Zack noticed that he felt very worn out. At first, he thought this was from doing so much for Rian all day, but he felt more exhausted than he thought he should be.   
When they started into their last song, his stomach cramped up, but he continued to play through it. Halfway through, the pain turned into nausea, and Zack stopped playing as he held his stomach.  
“Zack, are you okay?” Jack asked, noticing the look of discomfort on Zack’s face. Zack just shook his head and put a hand to his mouth.  
“The bathroom is the first door on the left,” Jack said, quickly taking Zack’s bass before Zack ran off to be sick.  
“Hey, let’s play something so you two don’t start feeling sick from hearing him,” Jack suggested, setting down the bass so he could play his guitar. They ended up playing Jasey Rae until Zack came back, looking very unwell.  
“I think I have Alex’s stomach bug,” Zack weakly stated.  
“I’d say you do, man,” Rian replied.  
“Zack, I’m really sorry. I feel really bad that both of you got it,” Alex said, sounding a bit upset with himself.  
“Don’t stress, Alex, I’ll be okay,” Zack said, sitting on the edge of the stage.  
“Why don’t we go to the green room, you guys need to rest up as much as possible before the show. Will you be okay to play, Zack?” Jack asked.  
“I think so. I might have to run offstage or something, but I’ll make it through,” Zack replied.  
“That’s how I’m feeling, too,” Alex replied.  
“I think you guys both have it worse than me. My stomach hurts, but I’m not as nauseous as you two seem to be,” Rian stated.  
“Well, no matter what, you guys need to rest. Let’s go to the green room,” Jack prompted. They put their instruments away, then followed Jack to the green room. Luckily, there were two big couches, so Rian and Zack took one, and Jack and Alex took the other. Jack went to Zack to check for a fever.   
“You don’t feel as warm as Rian and Alex, so that’s good. Damn, I just realized something; Rian mostly has a fever and chills while you really only have nausea. Then, of course, Alex has the worst possible combination of both,” Jack pointed out.  
“I’m glad you two don’t have it as bad as me, I’d feel much worse about getting you two sick than I already do,” Alex stated.  
“Alex, don’t feel too badly about it, we’ll live,” Rian replied.  
“Yeah, and we knew that this would probably happen from spending so much time with you, anyway. We’ll be okay,” Zack added.  
“I know you guys probably don’t want to do this, but try to drink some water, I don’t want you guys to get dehydrated,” Jack said, handing his friends water bottles, which they hesitantly started to drink.  
“It’s weird seeing you so responsible,” Zack joked to Jack.  
“Yeah, this is really out of character for you,” Rian added.  
“Well, I kind of have to be, don’t I? Usually, just Alex is sick, so I can sit with him and you guys can do all of the responsible person shit. We have a show in a couple of hours, and I have to make sure that you guys are in the best condition possible with that nasty bug,” Jack explained.  
“Well, we appreciate it,” Alex said, making Jack smile some.  
“I’m glad. I think you guys should try to sleep for a bit,” Jack suggested. Everyone agreed, and they all fell asleep quickly.   
For the next two hours, Jack did everything he could to help his friends. Alex ended up getting sick again, and Zack came close, but thankfully never did.   
Jack was concerned for Zack and Rian, but it was very clear that Alex was the worst off out of the three of them, and Jack really didn’t know how Alex was going to make it through the show. He’d seen Alex perform while sick numerous times, but never while he was this unwell.   
Once they had ten minutes until it was time for them to go on, Rian and Zack went to the stage entrance, while Jack stayed in the green room with Alex as he got sick again.  
“Damn dude, you’ve got this really bad, don’t you?” Jack asked sympathetically.  
“No matter what I do, I can’t shake the nausea. I feel so terrible,” Alex replied, leaning up against Jack.  
“Can you make it through the set?” Jack asked.  
“I hope so. I don’t really have a choice at this point, we go on in ten minutes. I’m just glad that Rian and Zack are doing better than me, it’d be really hard to put on even a half decent show if they were as sick as me,” Alex pointed out.  
“That’s true, hopefully they’ll be mostly over it by tomorrow,” Jack replied.  
“I hope so. Also, I hope that you somehow manage to not get sick after all of this,” Alex said.  
“Me too, but I’ll survive if I do. Hey, do you think you’re done? We have to get to the stage,” Jack asked. As Alex was going to reply, he felt another cramp in his stomach, and got sick again. Jack rubbed Alex’s back until he was done.  
“I think I’m really now,” Alex stated. Jack helped Alex up and to the stage entrance. Seconds later, they walked onstage, and started into their first song. Their set was shortened to nine songs, which proved to be a good thing.   
It was tough for Rian and Zack to get through, but Alex definitely had the hardest time. At the end of their fifth song, Alex ran offstage to get sick, and Jack did his best to distract the crowd until Alex got back. Once he was back, the four of them finished out the set as best they could.  
“Alex, how’re you feeling?” Jack asked his friend once they walked offstage.  
“Bad, performing made me feel worse,” Alex replied, looking pale and worn out.  
“Shit, well, let’s get you to the bus so you can rest. What about you two, how’re you guys holding up?” Jack asked Zack and Rian.  
“Not great, but a bit better than this morning,” Rian replied.  
“Same here, I feel a little better than I did during soundcheck, but still a little queasy and worn out,” Zack added.  
“Let’s get back to the bus,” Jack said, leading his friends out of the venue and onto the bus.  
“I want to sleep in the back,” Alex requested.  
“Are you two okay with that?” Jack asked Rian and Zack. They both agreed, saying they’d probably be fine sleeping in their bunks.  
“Come get me if you need something, I’ll be in the back with Alex,” Jack stated. They exchanged goodnights and well wishes, then all split off to where they’d be sleeping. Jack helped Alex get comfortable on the couch and put on a movie for them to watch.  
“Jack, I’m cold,” Alex complained, visibly shaking. Jack sat down and let Alex latch onto him.  
“I really think we should’ve just canceled the show, maybe you’d feel better now if we did,” Jack stated.  
“I’m glad we were able to get through it. We have an off day tomorrow, so hopefully that’ll help me some before our next show,” Alex replied.  
“I hope so. Before you sleep, drink some of this water. Do it slowly so you don’t make yourself sick. Oh, if you can’t make it to the bathroom tonight, I put a bowl in here for you,” Jack explained.  
“Thank you for everything, Jack, I seriously appreciate it all so much,” Alex replied.  
“Of course, dude. Now, get some rest so you can get better,” Jack said back. Alex fell asleep quickly, and Jack started to feel some discomfort in his body. After shifting around some, he finally drifted off, as well.  
\------------------  
When Jack woke up the next morning, the only word that could describe how he felt was bad. He was too hot and too cold at the same time, he was very achy, and his stomach was killing him. He tried to get comfortable so he could ignore how he was feeling by sleeping, but a sharp pain in his stomach made him sit up and wrap his arms around his stomach.   
Jack grabbed the bowl that was next to Alex, who was still asleep, and sat over it. After a couple minutes, he started to get sick into it. This caused Alex to wake up, and he immediately put a hand to Jack’s back. Eventually, Jack stopped and looked over to Alex.  
“Did I wake you?” Jack asked.  
“Yeah, but don’t worry about it. I’m so sorry you’re sick now because of me,” Alex replied.  
“Don’t worry about it; with everything I did for you, Zack and Rian yesterday, it was kind of inevitable. I do feel awful, though, like the worst I’ve ever felt in my life,” Jack sated.  
“Shit, you have it bad like me,” Alex mumbled. Seconds later, Rian and Zack walked into the back lounge.  
“Was that you, Alex?” Rian asked.  
“Nope, that, unfortunately, was me this time,” Jack weakly admitted.  
“Shit dude, you look as sick as Alex did on the day came down with this,” Zack pointed out.  
“I feel shitty,” Jack whined. Rian took care of the bowl, then went back to the lounge with his friends.  
“It’s a good thing Rian and I are feeling mostly better, Jack definitely can’t take care of us like he did yesterday,” Zack stated.  
“I can’t believe you managed to spread this through the whole band, Alex,” Rian said with a laugh.  
“I’m really sorry, guys,” Alex stated.  
“Don’t stress about it, it’ll be a funny story someday,” Jack assured his friend.  
“Why don’t we all just watch movies back here today? It’s an off day, so we can just relax and get you two feeling better by tomorrow night,” Zack suggested. Everyone agreed, and Rian put on a movie for them.   
It was a long day for the four of them, but by the show the next night, Alex was almost back to normal, and Jack had improved significantly, as well. Even though this situation was nowhere near ideal for them, it reminded them of two important things; that they would always be there to help each other, and to stay away from Alex when he came down with something.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is a request for someone on my Tumblr! I actually rewrote this entirely, I think I like this better than I do the first version. It's also a bit longer than my normal stories, but both times I had trouble containing it into about 2000 words, so instead, it's a little under 3000! I have one more request that I plan on writing today to post tomorrow, then I'll be out again! That being said, please feel free to send in ideas you have that you want written! I love writing requests for you guys, and would love to have some more to work on! Thank you guys so much for reading, it really does mean so much to me. Lots of love, Liv.


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